[geeks] Let say you wanted a small, small, PC...

[Lionel Peterson]

>From: Joshua Boyd <jdboyd at jdboyd.net>
>Date: 2007/08/04 Sat PM 04:19:27 CDT
>To: The Geeks List <geeks at sunhelp.org>
>Subject: Re: [geeks] Let say you wanted a small, small, PC...

>On Aug 4, 2007, at 9:37 AM, Jonathan Katz wrote:
>
>> I bet the Mini-ITX setup you're describing has some kind of price  
>> discount
>> based on volume. Individuals don't buy that stuff, people who embed  
>> systems
>> do, and they buy by the 1000's which can drop the cost 30-40% from
>> single-unit retail.
>
>I'm not at all clear on who actually buys 1,000s of ready made PC  
>boards for embedded systems, except maybe ATM manufactures.  My  
>company certainly doesn't buy in that volume, and I would expect that  
>anyone actually buying 1,000s would having something custom made to  
>their application.

I think this *was* custome made for an application, they just decided to productize it. This is an Intel MB, with a custom CPU (Celeron 215 chip), soldered on the MB, uses an SiS chipset, and has constrained expansion options.

>I have several ideas for embedded systems that I might use such a  
>board in, but if I were to make 1,000 of them, it would easily be  
>cheaper to switch to using a custom system including only what is  
>absolutely needed.
>
>That said, I've seen several complete motherboards with processors  
>for under $100, and this would be something like the second that is  
>over 1ghz, so the price of $70 seems to me like it might be for small  
>purchases.  Although I don't see where it is $70.  I do see it from  
>LogicSupply.com for $79.95 though.

http://microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0261066

>PCChips makes some very low cost C7 boards, which will thus include  
>SATA, for about the same price.  Hopefully Jonathan Patschke might be  
>able to comment on the quality of that brand.

In this case, size matters - there are few mini-ITX MBs with modern CPUs, are low-power, and cost well under $100. It is a very unique price/feature point.

Lionel